[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-26032289AC7C-164":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},164,3,"Chapter 3: Lessons Taught In The Cold Dark","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya didn’t know how much time had passed. She regained consciousness in a haze, her body throbbing with sharp, radiating pain. A suffocating pressure crushed her chest. She was trapped.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She tried to pry her eyes open, only to realize she wasn’t in a hospital recovery room. She had been dumped into a cramped, airless storage closet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Deep, cramping agony ripped through her lower abdomen. A warm, slick sensation spread beneath her, soaking through her thin hospital gown and pooling on the cold, concrete floor.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Is anyone there?\" she croaked. \"Open the door! Please, let me out!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She pounded against the wood, her hands weak, her voice a ragged, trembling mess.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Soft footsteps echoed outside. Then, a voice she knew too well—icy and detached. Her mother, Martha. \"Maya, be quiet.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Peter followed, his tone heavy with irritation. He sighed, the sound of him rubbing his temples audible through the door. \"You took things too far. You promised to terminate the pregnancy, but behind our backs, you had Alexandria locked in the deep freezer. You know she’s been terrified of the cold since she was a child. She nearly went into shock!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Keeping you here for the day is lenient,\" Peter added, his voice hardening. \"Consider it a necessary lesson in discipline.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her blood turned to ice. *She* had locked Alexandria in a freezer?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I didn't!\" she screamed, though her voice was distorted by agony. \"I never did such a thing! Bring her here—let her face me!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Sister...\" Alexandria’s voice drifted through the gap, dripping with practiced, fragile innocence. \"I’m okay, really. It was just a little cold. Mom, Dad, please... don’t keep her locked up anymore. I’m fine.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"See? Look at Alexandria’s grace,\" Martha snapped. \"And look at you. So malicious. You nearly killed her, and we’ve only locked you away for a day without food or water. It’s a mercy. And yet, you still refuse to admit your fault.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A day? Without food or water? She had just undergone surgery.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The absurdity of it stole her breath. She shivered, her teeth chattering as the cold seeped into her bones. \"Mom... Dad... I have claustrophobia. I can't be in here! I just had surgery... I’m hemorrhaging... please, take me to the hospital...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Enough with the dramatics!\" Peter interrupted, his voice dismissing her like a child’s tantrum. \"Claustrophobia? A convenient excuse. We aren't falling for your act again. Stay there and think about your sins.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya’s heart plummeted into an abyss. She shifted her gaze, knowing he was standing there, too.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Callahan...\" she whispered, clutching at a shred of hope. \"Just believe me, once. If I wanted to hurt her, why would I have agreed to let her come back? Why would I have... let them end the pregnancy?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Silence hung in the air.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, Callahan’s voice cut through, cold and devoid of life. \"Maya, actions have consequences. It’s just a day. Bear it. Consider it a lesson.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just bear it? A lesson?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The final spark of hope died. A chilling despair wrapped around her heart, tightening with every breath. How could she have forgotten? Callahan loved Alexandria. That had never changed. She had spent five years trying to melt his ice, yet here she was, foolishly hoping he’d choose her over his favorite toy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The footsteps faded into the distance. She pounded until her knuckles bled, but there was no response.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Darkness. Suffocation. The metallic tang of blood. The biting cold. She curled into a ball on the filthy floor, her sanity fraying at the edges. Panic rose in her throat, choking off her oxygen until, finally, the world went black.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she regained consciousness, the air smelled of sterile white walls and disinfectant. Her body felt like it had been put through a grinder—her abdomen, her back—but the suffocating darkness was gone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A nurse was adjusting her IV drip. When she saw Maya’s eyes flutter open, she spoke with a detached, clinical tone. \"You’re finally awake. There are signs of infection and significant blood loss from your procedure. You’ll need to be hospitalized for a few days of observation. We need a family member to handle the paperwork. Where are they? You need to notify someone.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya’s lips cracked as she spoke, her voice a dry, rasping whisper. \"I don't have family here. Just hire a private nurse for me. The best one you have. I’ll cover the costs.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Before the words had even left her mouth, the hospital door swung open. Callahan stepped inside.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272929882]